Virtual telephony assistant

ABSTRACT

Examples are disclosed for screening an inbound telephony call to a called party. At a communications server, an inbound telephony call intended for a called party&#39;s telephone number is received and checked against a whitelist database and a blacklist database. When the caller ID of the inbound call matches a telephone number contained in the blacklist database, the communications server automatically routes the call to a voicemail system or spam folder associated with the called party&#39;s telephone number. When the caller ID of the inbound call matches a telephone number contained in the whitelist database, the communications server determines whether the called party is available to receive the call. Otherwise, when the caller ID of the inbound call does not match a telephone number contained in either the whitelist database or the blacklist database, the communications server prompts the caller for additional information.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims the priority filingbenefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/802,699 filed Nov. 3, 2017,entitled “Virtual Telephony Assistant” which is related to and claimsthe priority filing benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 62/417,608filed Nov. 4, 2016, entitled “Virtual Telephony Assistant”.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Examples described herein are generally related to techniques forproviding a virtual telephony assistant.

BACKGROUND

Mobile telephony devices (often called smartphones) utilizing wirelesscommunication protocols are ubiquitous. Many of these devices utilizeone of the competing circuit switched cellular voice protocols (e.g.,Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) or Code Division MultipleAccess (CDMA)) for telephony voice communications with other telephonyendpoint devices. More recently, many of these mobile telephony devicesmay also utilize an Internet Protocol (IP) communication link ratherthan a circuit switched communication link to exchange voice data with acommunications server using a Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP)system. The communications server mediates telephony calls between andamong various endpoints. In addition, the mobile telephony device mayalso wirelessly connect to an IP network over one or more wireless IPinterfaces and communication links.

The IP communication link may be 802.11 based such as WiFi or may becellular based utilizing at least one of the many cellular IP airinterfaces. There are several cellular IP air interfaces already inexistence that use specific frequency ranges that are suitable for usewith the embodiments described herein. It should be noted that the term802.11 encompasses all of the 802.11 versions that currently exist andmay be developed. Some cellular IP air interface examples include theGeneral Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution(EDGE), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), High Speed Packet Access(HSPA), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), Long-Term Evolution(LTE), Voice-over Long-Term Evolution (VoLTE), Wideband Code DivisionMultiple Access (WCDMA), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(UMTS), and High Rate Packet Data (HRPD). Moreover, there are many morewireless IP air interfaces in the planning and/or experimental stages(e.g., 5G, light-wave based, etc.) that use the same and/or differentfrequencies that would also be suitable for use with the embodimentsdescribed herein.

Some mobile telephony devices are capable of utilizing multipledifferent networks depending on network access or network conditions.For instance, the mobile telephony device may be able to communicatewith a communications server that manages and mediates telephony calls,including the media stream itself, over either a circuit switchednetwork or an IP based network. The communications server may be IPbased but with interfaces to cellular circuit switched networks or thepublic switched telephone network (PSTN) as well as Voice-over InternetProtocol (VoIP) networks. If the communications server is IP based, itmay include additional intelligence that allows it intervene in the callflow as well as access other IP data networks like the Internet ingeneral to engage in IP data sessions. Moreover, the communicationsserver may access other IP data networks while simultaneously managing atelephony call between or among a plurality of telephony endpointdevices. The mobile telephony device(s) are also able to access IP datanetworks such as the Internet over 802.11 WiFi and/or a cellular IP dataconnection.

In addition, a new category of home electronic device called the smartspeaker is emerging. Some smart speakers may even be capable of VoIPtelephony. The smart speaker may be provisioned with its own telephonenumber, may be linked to the account of one or more other telephonydevices (e.g., mobile phones) that have their own telephone number, orboth.

What is needed is a mechanism for accessing and leveraging thecommunication server's ability to intervene in the call flow and utilizeIP data networks during a voice communication session.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example block diagram for a networked environment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a communications server accordingto an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an end user mobile telephonydevice according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example logic flow diagram according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates another example of a logic flow diagram according toan embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagramaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagramaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagramaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagramaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagramaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagramaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagramaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagramaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 14 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagramaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 15 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagramaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 16 illustrates another example block diagram for a networkedenvironment.

FIG. 17 illustrates a block diagram of smart speaker according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 18 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagramaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 19 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagramaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments described herein disclose systems, methods, and computerprogram products for integrating a voice responsive telephony assistantinto an existing telephony call. The embodiments may also describesystems, methods, and computer program products for integrating smartspeakers into VolP telephony systems. The systems and methods of theinvention may be embodied in and performed by network basedcommunications server(s) and other related components (e.g., databases),and software instructions executed by some or all of such devices andcomponents, as will be explained in detail below. The different types ofnetworks contemplated herein include, for example, circuit switchednetworks, IP based cellular mobile networks, and IP data networks, suchas the Internet or other IP-based networks, including wide areanetworks, local area networks, and combinations thereof that includeboth wireless (e.g., 802.11) and wireline (e.g., Ethernet) means ofaccess.

As used herein the term “telephony endpoint” is meant to generallyindicate an end user physical device intended for, among other things,telephony calls to other telephony endpoints over one or moreinter-connected telephony networks. Examples of telephony endpointsinclude a plain old telephone service (POTS) phones, VoIP telephones,mobile/cellular telephones, custom designed smart speakers, and softwarebased soft-client applications executing on a computer device. Otherexamples may be understood to those of ordinary skill in the art.

As used herein the term “mobile telephony device” is meant to generallyindicate a specific type of telephony endpoint, namely a mobile orcellular telephone such as a smartphone that may be equipped withmultiple RF transceivers including an 802.11 WiFi transceiver, acellular banded transceiver, and (optionally) a Bluetooth transceiver.Other similar RF transceivers configured to use various frequency rangesmay also be implemented on the mobile telephony device as they aredeveloped. A mobile telephony endpoint may further be messaging enabledmeaning it includes the ability to send and receive text (SMS) ormulti-media (MMS) messages using its telephone number as an addresspoint. In addition, many mobile telephony devices may also include otherinstalled messaging applications, such as, for instance, Facebook,WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, and the like.

As used herein the term “smart speaker” is meant to generally indicate aspecific type of telephony endpoint, namely an enhanced speaker devicethat may be equipped with multiple RF transceivers including an 802.11WiFi transceiver, a cellular banded transceiver, and (optionally) aBluetooth transceiver. Other similar RF transceivers configured to usevarious frequency ranges may also be implemented on the smart speaker asthey are developed. A smart speaker endpoint may further be messagingenabled meaning it includes the ability to send and receive text (SMS)messages using its telephone number as an address point. Inbound textmessages would first be converted to speech so as to be able to beplayed by the smart speaker. Out bound text messages are converted fromspeech to text before being delivered.

As used herein the term “telephony call” is meant to generally indicateany intended two-way exchange of voice data between two or moretelephony endpoint devices.

As used herein, the term “communications server” is intended to mean anIP based computer that, among other capabilities, mediates and managestelephony calls and messages among telephony endpoints over one or moreinter-connected telephony networks. In addition, the communicationsserver may also include interactive voice response (IVR) technology thatallows it to interact with users through the use of voice and/or DTMFtones input via a keypad. The IVR aspect may further include speechrecognition functionality allowing the communications server torecognize keywords, commands, or instructions. Once recognized, any suchcommands or instructions may be carried out by the communications serveror forwarded to another computer resource for execution.

As used herein, the term “communication link” is intended to mean aphysical and/or logical channel that connects two or more telephonyendpoints with the IP based communications server. A communication linkmay be a signaling link, a media link, or both. In this context, atelephony call may be established via one or more communication links inwhich the IP based communications server is an endpoint for each of thecommunication links. The IP based communications server may then joinone or more communication links together to establish a telephony callbetween or among two or more telephony endpoints. The IP basedcommunications server may be hosted within an IP network accessible tothe Internet.

In some instances, the communications server itself may be considered atelephony endpoint in cases where an end user is communicating with anartificial intelligence (AI) bot hosted within the communications serverover a communication link as described above. The AI bot may further be‘present’ in a telephony call between two or more endpoints existing asa virtual assistant of sorts. For instance, the AI bot may be given aname and made responsive to such name when spoken by one of the endusers. When the AI bot recognizes the invocation of its name, it may beprogrammed to listen for commands or instructions from one or more ofthe end users.

References herein to a mobile telephony device or smart speaker capableof connecting to or communicating via a mobile radio access network(MRAN) refer to a mobile telephony device or smart speaker equipped witha cellular transceiver for wireless communication with basestations forpurposes of accessing circuit switched voice services and/or mobile IPdata services. Similarly, references herein to a mobile telephony deviceor smart speaker capable of connecting to or communicating via an IPdata network refer to a mobile telephony device or smart speakerequipped with a transceiver for wireless communication (e.g., 802.11WiFi) with a router or other IP data network access point.

Certain embodiments herein describe techniques for the IP basedcommunications server to intervene in a call flow to intelligently routeor otherwise respond to an inbound call.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary networked environment 100 forimplementing certain exemplary embodiments described herein. Thenetworked environment 100 may include multiple distinct inter-connectednetworks such as, for instance, a large scale internet protocol (IP)network (e.g., the Internet) 102, one or more IP based local areanetworks or wide area networks (LANs/WANs) 130 including an 802.11wireless access point 135, and one or more MRANs 120 accessible via acellular basestation tower 122.

It should be noted that alternative wireless IP based networks (notshown) that do not operate over the frequency spectrum typicallyassociated with 802.11 (e.g., WiFi) or cellular may be implemented. Oneexample of such an alternate wireless IP network may be WiMAX (e.g.,802.16). Other examples may include, but are not limited to, networksutilizing television whitespace frequencies and other unlicensed (or yetto be licensed) frequencies, including, but not limited to, those underconsideration for 5G implementations. These may include wirelessnetworks operating within a frequency range of 100 MHz and 700 MHz, andwireless networks operating within a frequency range of 3.5 GHz and 3.7GHz, and anything at or above 5 GHz including light-wave basedtransmission systems.

The MRANs 120 and the LANs 130 each have backhaul IP connectivity to theInternet 102 that provides connectivity with a communications server140. The communications server 140 has many capabilities including: (i)an ability to manage and mediate telephony calls and messages between oramong telephony endpoints, and (ii) an ability to manage and mediate IPdata sessions between or among other IP enabled devices.

The MRAN 120 (sometimes referred to as a cellular network) may come indifferent varieties based on the circuit switched radio transmissionprotocol it supports. Two such circuit switched radio transmissionschemes are the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) and CodeDivision Multiple Access (CDMA). These circuit switched radiotransmission schemes are incompatible with one another necessitating anintervening interface to allow communication between mobile telephonydevices 110 on either network. In addition, each network may operateover multiple specific frequency ranges. Often, there may even be anintervening network such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)(not shown) between two distinct MRANs. Each MRAN 120 may include aninterface to the PSTN (not shown) such that telephony calls crossingthat interface can be handled by the receiving network whether it is anMRAN 120 or the PSTN.

The MRAN 120 may also provide mobile telephony devices 110 with wirelessIP based data access to the Internet 102 using one of the aforementionedcellular IP protocols. Moreover, MRANs 120 may utilize IP protocols likeVoice-over LTE (VoLTE) to enable telephony calling over an IP protocolrather than a circuit switched protocol. Similarly, an IP access point135 may provide wireless connectivity for a mobile telephony device 110to the Internet 102 via access point 135 using any of the 802.11 WiFistandards and/or any other type of IP based connectivity standard.

In certain embodiments, MRANs 120 include cellular networks or portionsof cellular networks based on a variety of circuit switched and/or IPdata protocols such as, but not limited to, Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), GeneralPacket Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution (EDGE),Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), High Speed Packet Data (HSPD), HighSpeed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), Long-Term Evolution (LTE),Voice-over Long-Term Evolution (VoLTE), Wideband Code Division MultipleAccess (WCDMA), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), orHigh Rate Packet Data (HRPD)and/or any other existing ordeveloped/developing cellular network IP standards.

In normal operation, a mobile telephony device 110 may make and receivetelephony calls. All calls are, at some point, routed through thecommunications server 140 residing in an IP network 102. Depending onlocation and current network conditions, the mobile telephony device 110may communicate with the communications server 140 over (i) a WiFi IPvoice/data link 116, 118 via an IP access point 135, (ii) a cellular IPvoice/data link 114, 117 via a basestation 122 coupled to MRAN 120, or(iii) a circuit switched voice link 112, 119 via basestation 122 coupledto MRAN 120. Communications server 140 may also include a database 141containing data on service subscribers it manages.

For telephony calls, the communications server 140 may also establish asecondary communication link 142 with another communication device 150to establish the telephony call. The secondary communication link 142 isVoIP based with respect to the communications server 140 but maytraverse other interconnected voice networks such as another MRAN, thePSTN, another VoIP network, or some combination thereof beforeterminating at the other communication device 150.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a communications server 140according to an embodiment of the invention. The communications server140 may include one or more processors 205 coupled with a data storagecomponent 210 comprised of a memory 215. The data storage component 210may also include telephony assistant logic 220 and command executionlogic 225. A VoIP communication interface 230 manages and mediatestelephony calls while an IP data interface 235 manages IP data sessionswith external devices or programs. The VoIP communication interface 230operates in an IP mode. However, it is capable of communicating withnon-IP telephony networks via other integrated or external networkinterfaces.

The telephony assistant logic 220 may be comprised of computer code thatwhen executed monitors incoming data over the VoIP communicationinterface 230 and the IP data interface 235 during an existing call withanother party. The telephony assistant logic 220 monitors for a triggerevent. A trigger event may take many forms including pattern matching toan acoustic signature or recognition of a keyword or phrase. Forinstance, a set of taps to the housing of the mobile telephony device110 may create a unique acoustic signature that may be detected andinterpreted as a trigger event. One such unique acoustic signature maybe the detection of three taps within a one second period in which thetaps emit a sound within a particular frequency range.

The command execution logic 225 may be comprised of computer code thatwhen executed recognizes the trigger event and causes the mobiletelephony device 110 to enter a temporary command mode. Entering commandmode initially places the mobile telephony device 110 into mute modewith respect to the ongoing telephony call with the other party. Thismay be performed locally on the communications server 140 or via aninstruction sent to the mobile telephony device 110 from thecommunications server 140. Mute mode essentially blocks audio picked upfrom the mobile telephony device's microphone from being passed from thecommunications server 140 to the other communication device 150. Oncemute mode is engaged, the mobile telephony device user may still speakinto the device's microphone. The audio may still be digitized and sentto the communications server 140 over the telephony communication linkfor the existing telephony call. However, the communications server 140,being in command mode, treats the received audio differently. Thecommunications server 140 parses the audio through the command executionlogic 225 using natural language processing to recognize and interpretcommands or instructions that may be carried out, or caused to becarried out, by the communications server 140.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an end user mobile telephonydevice 110 according to an embodiment of the invention. The mobiletelephony device 110 may include a variety of user interface(s) andsensors 305 such as a touchscreen display, a speaker, a microphone, aglobal positioning system (GPS) chip, an accelerometer, a light sensor,etc. The mobile telephony device 110 may also include one or moreprocessors 310 coupled with a data storage component 320 includingsensor detection logic 325, command execution logic 330, as well asother software applications 335. The mobile telephony device 110 alsocomprises a cellular transceiver and a WiFi transceiver 315 for wirelesscommunications with one or more wireless networks via wireless networkaccess points (as shown in FIG. 1). The mobile telephony device 110 mayinclude other wireless transceivers (not shown) like Bluetooth.

The sensor detection logic 325 may be comprised of computer code thatwhen executed monitors incoming audio over the microphone for a triggerevent. Just as above, a trigger event may take many forms includingpattern matching to an acoustic signature or recognition of a keyword orphrase. The command execution logic 330 may be comprised of computercode that when executed recognizes the trigger event and causes themobile telephony device 110 to enter a temporary command mode. Enteringcommand mode initially places the mobile telephony device 110 into mutemode with respect to the ongoing telephony call with the other party.This may be performed locally by the mobile telephony device 110 itself.Mute mode essentially blocks audio picked up from the mobile telephonydevice's microphone from being passed to the other communication device150. Once mute mode is engaged, the mobile telephony device user maystill speak into the device's microphone. The command execution logic330 parses the audio using natural language processing to recognize andinterpret commands or instructions that may be carried out, or caused tobe carried out, by the mobile telephony device 110.

FIGS. 4-14 and 18-19 illustrate examples of logic flow diagramsaccording to an embodiment of the invention. The logic flows may berepresentative of some or all of the operations executed by one or moreembodiments described herein. Further, the logic flows may performed bycircuitry and one or more components discussed herein. Moreover, logicflows may be performed in conjunction with one or more other logic flowsdiscussed herein and lists particular steps occurring in a particularorder. However, embodiments are not limited in this manner and any stepmay occur in any order. Further, steps of the logic flows may not bedependent upon one another and as such particular steps in the logicflows may not occur.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example logic flow diagram 400 according to anembodiment of the invention. A communications server 140 receives aninbound telephony call from an external originating telephony endpoint150 intended for mobile telephony device 110 of a called party at block402. The communications server 140 may check a caller ID field includedwith the inbound call at decision block 404. Decision block 404 mayreference a pair of databases to determine the identity of the caller.

There may be a blacklisted database 405 and a whitelisted database 409.The blacklisted database 405 may contain telephone numbers that havebeen flagged as undesirable to the user of mobile telephony device 110and therefore should not be permitted to ring the mobile telephonydevice 110. The whitelisted database 409 may contain telephone numbersthat have been flagged as desirable to the user of mobile telephonydevice 110 and therefore should be permitted to ring the mobiletelephony device 110.

If the caller ID field comes back blacklisted from the blacklistdatabase 405 lookup in decision block 404, then the communicationsserver 140 may send the inbound call to a voicemail system or a spamfolder at block 406. This process may be described in greater detail inFIG. 10.

If caller ID field comes back whitelisted from the whitelist database409 lookup in decision block 404, then the communications server 140 maycheck the current availability of the called party via a shared calendarapplication with the mobile telephony device 110 at decision block 410.If the called party is available according to calendar information, thencommunications server 140 may pass the inbound call and ring the mobiletelephony device 110. If the called party is not available according tocalendar information, then communications server 140 may play a custommessage to the caller. This process may be described in greater detailin FIG. 5.

After a custom message is played, the communications server 140 mayprompt the caller for a reply at decision block 416. There may be three(3) options, for example, including voicemail, a pop-up notification, ora text message. If the caller response to decision block 416 isvoicemail, then control is sent to block 418 where a voicemail systemtakes over as further described in FIG. 6. If the caller response todecision block 416 is pop-up notification, then control is sent to block420 where a pop-up notification system takes over as further describedin FIG. 7. If the caller response to decision block 416 is text message,then control is sent to block 422 where an SMS text message system takesover as further described in FIG. 8.

Returning to decision block 404, If the caller ID field is neitherwhitelisted nor blacklisted, the communications server 140 may hold theinbound call before ringing the called party at block 430. Thecommunications server 140 may then answer the inbound call and promptthe caller for more information (e.g., name, purpose of call) at block432. The communications server 140 may then optionally subject thecaller to a challenge type test to determine if the caller is a human ora machine. This challenge test process may be further described in FIG.9. The communications server 140 may then convert whatever response thecaller made as a result of block 432 into text at block 434. Thecommunications server 140 may then package the converted text into apop-up notification that is sent to and displayed on the mobiletelephony device 110 at block 436. The communications server 140 maythen prompt the called party's mobile telephony device 110 for aresponse at decision block 438. Examples of called party responses mayinclude: send to voicemail (FIG. 10), answer the call (FIG. 11), rejectcall (FIG. 12), send voice message back (FIG. 13), or send text messageback (FIG. 14).

FIG. 5 illustrates another example of a logic flow diagram 500 accordingto an embodiment of the invention. This logic flow diagram 500 maydescribe what a custom message from block 414 would be. In this example,the custom message that is played to the whitelisted caller may say “Hey‘caller’, ‘called party’ is ‘calendar status’ until ‘time’”, where thefields for ‘caller’, ‘called party’, ‘calendar status’, and ‘time’ maybe populated by referencing one or more databases available to thecommunications server 140. For instance, the name of the caller may bepulled from the whitelisted database of contacts that match the callerID for the incoming call. The called party is the person associated withmobile telephony device 110 being called. The name to use for the custommessage, however, may be suited to fit the relationship between thecaller and the called party. For instance, if the caller is the son ofthe called party, the name of the called party for the custom messagemay be set to ‘dad’. The calendar status of the called party may bepulled from a calendar application linked to the user of the mobiletelephony device 110. The calendar status may provide a reason why thecalled party is currently unavailable such as, for instance, in ameeting. The time field for the custom message may refer to the time atwhich the meeting expires. Putting all the information together mayyield a custom message that reads as follows: “Hey Casey, dad is in ameeting until 3:15. Would you like to leave a voicemail, a pop-up, or atext message?” Upon a response (or a timeout) from the caller, controlis returned to FIG. 4. The foregoing example is merely illustrative. Theexact content of the custom message may be altered without changing thescope of the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagram 600according to an embodiment of the invention. In this logic flow diagram600, the caller has responded to decision block 426 of FIG. 4 with areply to the custom message of the called party indicating voicemail atblock 602. The communications server 140 may then route the inbound callto the called party's voice mail system in block 604 before returningcontrol of the overall process back to FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagram 700according to an embodiment of the invention. In this logic flow diagram700, the caller has responded to decision block 426 of FIG. 4 with areply to the custom message of the called party indicating pop-upnotification at block 702. The communications server 140 may then promptthe caller to speak a short voice message in block 704. Thecommunications server 140 may then convert the voice message to text inblock 706. The communications server 140 may then cause the textcorresponding to the voice message to be sent to and displayed on themobile telephony device 110 as a pop-up notification at block 708 beforereturning control of the overall process back to FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagram 800according to an embodiment of the invention. In this logic flow diagram800, the caller has responded to decision block 426 of FIG. 4 with areply to the custom message of the called party indicating text messagenotification at block 802. The communications server 140 may then promptthe caller to speak a short voice message in block 804. Thecommunications server 140 may then convert the voice message to text inblock 806. The communications server 140 may then cause the textcorresponding to the voice message to be sent to the mobile telephonydevice 110 as an SMS text message at block 808 before returning controlof the overall process back to FIG. 4.

FIG. 9 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagram 900according to an embodiment of the invention. In this logic flow diagram900, the caller has responded to block 432 of FIG. 4 with additionalinformation that may be subjected to a challenge test to determine ifthe caller is a human or a machine (e.g., recording) at block 902. Thechallenge test may be administered in decision block 904 and may involvechoosing from any number of tasks that a human can understand andperform but a recording cannot. For example, a simple instruction topress any key could be performed by a human but not a recording. Upondetecting a key press, the communications server 140 may interpret theresponse as coming from a human caller and return control of the processto the point it was in FIG. 4 just prior to the challenge test.Conversely, if the caller fails the challenge test, control may bereturned to s different point in the process of FIG. 4. In this case,the inbound call will be immediately routed to a voicemail system or aspam folder of the called party.

FIG. 10 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagram 1000according to an embodiment of the invention. In this logic flow diagram1000, the called party has responded to decision block 438 of FIG. 4with a selection of voicemail or a timeout due to no called partyresponse at block 1002. The communications server 140 may then route theinbound call to the called party's voice mail system in block 1004before returning control of the overall process back to FIG. 4.

FIG. 11 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagram 1100according to an embodiment of the invention. In this logic flow diagram1100, the called party has responded to decision block 438 of FIG. 4with a selection to answer the inbound call at block 1102. Thecommunications server 140 may then pay a “connecting” response to thecaller and/or resume the ringing function to indicate to the caller thatthe call is being placed at block 1104. The communications server 140may then ring the called party at block 1106 and upon connecting thecall at block 1108, return control of the overall process back to FIG.4.

FIG. 12 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagram 1200according to an embodiment of the invention. In this logic flow diagram1200, the called party has responded to decision block 438 of FIG. 4with a selection to reject the inbound call at block 1202. Thecommunications server 140 may then query the called party whether to addthe caller to the blacklist database at decision block 1204. If thecalled party response is determined to be yes, the communications server140 may then add the telephone number of the caller to the blacklistdatabase in block 1206 before terminating the call at block 1208 andreturning control of the overall process back to FIG. 4.

FIG. 13 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagram 1300according to an embodiment of the invention. In this logic flow diagram1300, the called party has responded to decision block 438 of FIG. 4with a selection to send a voice message back to the caller at block1302. The communications server 140 may then prompt the called party torecord a short voice message at block 1304. The communications server140 may then play the called party's voice message back to the caller atblock 1306 before returning control of the overall process back to FIG.4.

FIG. 14 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagram 1400according to an embodiment of the invention. In this logic flow diagram1400, the called party has responded to decision block 438 of FIG. 4with a selection to send a text message back to the caller at block1402. The communications server 140 may then prompt the called party torecord a short voice message at block 1404. The communications server140 may then convert or transcribe the voice message to a text messageat block 1406. The communications server 140 may then send the SMS textmessage back to the caller at block 1408 before returning control of theoverall process back to FIG. 4.

FIG. 15 illustrates still another example of a logic flow diagram 1500according to an embodiment of the invention. In this logic flow diagram1500, the called party has been prompted to respond to a decision block438 of FIG. 4 with a decision to add the caller to either the whitelistdatabase or blacklist database at block 1502. In response to the calledparty's response to add the caller to the whitelist database, thecommunications server 140 may then add caller's telephone number (TN) towhitelist database at block 1504 before returning control of the overallprocess back to FIG. 4. In response to the called party's response toadd the caller to the blacklist database, the communications server 140may then add caller's telephone number (TN) to blacklist database atblock 1508 before returning control of the overall process back to FIG.4.

FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary networked environment 1600 forimplementing certain exemplary embodiments described herein. Thenetworked environment 1600 is similar to that of FIG. 1 but may furtherinclude an associated smart speaker 180 that is also capable of VoIPcommunications and general IP data communications with communicationsserver 140 via radio tower 122 and MRAN 120 or IP access point 135 overIP access network 130.

FIG. 17 illustrates a block diagram of a smart speaker device 180according to an embodiment of the invention. The smart speaker device180 may include a variety of user interface(s) and sensors 1705 such asone or more speakers, one or more microphones, a global positioningsystem (GPS) chip, etc. The smart speaker device 180 may also includeone or more processors 1710 coupled with a data storage component 1725including sensor detection logic 1730, command execution logic 1735, aswell as other software applications 1740. The smart speaker device 180may also comprise a cellular transceiver and a WiFi transceiver 1715 forwireless communications with one or more wireless networks via wirelessnetwork access points (as shown in FIG. 1). The smart speaker device 180may further include other wireless transceivers (not shown) likeBluetooth. Also included may be at least one SIM card slots 1720 adaptedto receive and operate a SIM card from one or more mobile networkservice providers to provide access to one or more MRANs 120 as shown inFIG. 16.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example logic flow diagram 1800 according to anembodiment of the invention. In this logic flow diagram 1800, thecommunications server 140 receives an inbound call intended for smartspeaker 180. The smart speaker may be telephony enabled using Voice-overInternet Protocol (VoIP) telephony protocols to make and receive calls.The smart speaker may also be associated with its own telephone numberand/or be associated with one or more telephony devices known to thecommunications server 140. The communications server 140 may then checka caller ID field included with the inbound call at decision block 1804.Decision block 1804 may reference a pair of databases to determine theidentity of the caller.

There may be a blacklisted database 1805 and a whitelisted database1809. The blacklisted database 1805 may contain telephone numbers thathave been flagged as undesirable to the user(s) of smart speaker 180 andtherefore should not be permitted to ring the smart speaker 180. Thewhitelisted database 1809 may contain telephone numbers that have beenflagged as desirable to the user of smart speaker 180 and thereforeshould be permitted to ring the smart speaker 180.

If the caller ID field comes back blacklisted from the blacklistdatabase 1805 lookup in decision block 1804, then the communicationsserver 140 may send the inbound call to a voicemail system or a spamfolder at block 1806. This process may be described in greater detail inFIG. 10.

If caller ID field comes back whitelisted from the whitelist database1809 lookup in decision block 1804, the communications server 140 maythen send a signal to wake up the smart speaker 180 and play an incomingcall message at block 1808. The incoming call message may be, forinstance, something like, “Your son Shane is calling. What would youlike to do?” The communications server 140 may then prompt the smartspeaker 180 for a response at decision block 1816. Examples of responsesfrom a user to the smart speaker 180 may include: send to voicemail(FIG. 10), answer the call (FIG. 11), reject call (FIG. 12), send voicemessage back (FIG. 13), or open a channel to listen in to the caller atblock 1826.

Returning to decision block 1804, If the caller ID field is neitherwhitelisted nor blacklisted, the communications server 140 may hold theinbound call before ringing the called party at block 1810. Thecommunications server 140 may then answer the inbound call and promptthe caller for more information (e.g., name, purpose of call) at block1812. The communications server 140 may then send a signal to wake upthe smart speaker 180 and play whatever response the caller made as aresult of block 1812 along with any caller ID information at block 1814.The communications server 140 may then send control over to decisionblock 1816 to prompt the called party for a response as described above.

FIG. 19 illustrates another example of a logic flow diagram 1900according to an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, auser's mobile device 110 may be used as a secondary interface to thesmart speaker 180 to place telephony calls. Because the smart speakerdoes not necessarily include a video display or touch screen capability,it can only be used directly via voice recognition and commands.However, a user may have multiple devices linked together in an accountaccessible to the communications server 140. In such cases, thecommunications server can accept input or commands from one device andapply the commands to another associated device.

In this logic flow diagram 1900, the user may wish to place an outboundtelephony call from thee smart speaker device 180 using the mobiletelephony device 110 as the interface to “dial”. The communicationsserver 140 may first determine if the mobile telephony device 140 is inclose proximity to the smart speaker 180 at decision block 1902. Thismay be determined in a variety of ways including a GPS geolocationcomparison of both devices. Another method may be to have thecommunications server determine if both devices are currently connectedto the same IP access point 135. If the mobile telephony device 110 andthe smart speaker 180 are not in proximity of one another, thecommunications server 140 may not permit the mobile telephony device 110to place a call on behalf of the smart speaker 180. If the mobiletelephony device 110 and the smart speaker 180 are in proximity of oneanother, the communications server 140 may permit the mobile telephonydevice 110 to place a call on behalf of the smart speaker 180. The usermay then open the dialer or a contacts database on the mobile telephonydevice 110 at block 1904 and select a contact or dial a telephone numberat block 1906. The selected or dialed telephone number may then be sentto and received by the communications server 140 at block 1908. Thecommunications server 140 may then establish a telephony communicationlink with the smart speaker 180 at block 1910. The communications server140 may then dial the selected contact or telephone number at block1912. Once the called party answers the telephony call, thecommunications server 140 may then connect the called party to the smartspeaker 180 at block 1914 to create a telephony communication session.

Some examples may be described using the expression “in one example” or“an example” along with their derivatives. These terms mean that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connectionwith the example is included in at least one example. The appearances ofthe phrase “in one example” in various places in the specification arenot necessarily all referring to the same example.

Some examples may be described using the expression “coupled”,“connected”, or “capable of being coupled” along with their derivatives.These terms are not necessarily intended as synonyms for each other. Forexample, descriptions using the terms “connected” and/or “coupled” mayindicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electricalcontact with each other. The term “coupled,” however, may also mean thattwo or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yetstill co-operate or interact with each other.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A communications server configured toscreen an inbound telephony call to a called party telephony deviceassociated with a telephone number, the communications server comprisingone or more processors, the processors executing instructions to:receive an inbound telephony call intended for the called partytelephony device; check the caller ID telephone number of the inboundtelephony call against a whitelist database and a blacklist database;when the caller ID of the inbound telephony call matches a telephonenumber contained in the blacklist database, automatically route theinbound telephony call to a voicemail system or spam folder associatedwith the called party's telephone number; when the caller ID of theinbound call matches a telephone number contained in the whitelistdatabase, determine whether the called party is available to receive theinbound telephony call; and when the caller ID of the inbound call doesnot match a telephone number contained in either the whitelist databaseor the blacklist database, then (i) prompt the caller for additionalinformation; (ii) cause the presentation of the additional informationto the called party via the called party telephony device prior toconnecting the inbound telephony call; (iii) cause the presentation ofone or more options for handling the inbound telephony call on thecalled party telephony device; (iv) receive instructions from the calledparty telephony device corresponding to one of the one or more optionsfor handling the inbound telephony call; and (v) execute theinstructions to the selected option for handling the inbound telephonycall.
 2. The communications server of claim 1, the called partytelephony device comprising a smart speaker device.
 3. Thecommunications server of claim 2, the one or more processors executinginstructions to: wake the smart speaker device; and cause the smartspeaker device to play an audible alert indicative of the inbound call.4. The communications server of claim 3, wherein the presentation of oneor more options for handling the inbound telephony call on the smartspeaker device is audible.
 5. The communications server of claim 4,wherein one option for handling the inbound telephony call on the smartspeaker device is to answer the inbound call.
 6. The communicationsserver of claim 4, wherein one option for handling the inbound telephonycall on the smart speaker device is to reject the inbound call.
 7. Thecommunications server of claim 4, wherein one option for handling theinbound telephony call on the smart speaker device is to send theinbound call to a voicemail system.
 8. The communications server ofclaim 4, wherein one option for handling the inbound telephony call onthe smart speaker device is to compose and send a text message back tothe caller.
 9. The communications server of claim 4, wherein one optionfor handling the inbound telephony call on the smart speaker device isto compose and send a voice message back to the caller.
 10. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a plurality ofinstructions configured to screen an inbound telephony call to a calledparty telephony device associated with a telephone number, that whenexecuted enable processing circuitry to: receive an inbound telephonycall intended for the called party telephony device; check the caller IDtelephone number of the inbound telephony call against a whitelistdatabase and a blacklist database; when the caller ID of the inboundtelephony call matches a telephone number contained in the blacklistdatabase, automatically route the inbound telephony call to a voicemailsystem or spam folder associated with the called party's telephonenumber; when the caller ID of the inbound call matches a telephonenumber contained in the whitelist database, determine whether the calledparty is available to receive the inbound telephony call; and when thecaller ID of the inbound call does not match a telephone numbercontained in either the whitelist database or the blacklist database,then (i) prompt the caller for additional information; (ii) cause thepresentation of the additional information to the called party via thecalled party telephony device prior to connecting the inbound telephonycall; (iii) cause the presentation of one or more options for handlingthe inbound telephony call on the called party telephony device; (iv)receive instructions from the called party telephony devicecorresponding to one of the one or more options for handling the inboundtelephony call; and (v) execute the instructions to the selected optionfor handling the inbound telephony call.
 11. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 10, the called party telephonydevice comprising a smart speaker device.
 12. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the plurality ofinstructions that when executed enable the processing circuitry to: wakethe smart speaker device; and cause the smart speaker device to play anaudible alert indicative of the inbound call.
 13. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the presentationof one or more options for handling the inbound telephony call on thesmart speaker device is audible.
 14. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein one option forhandling the inbound telephony call on the smart speaker device is toanswer the inbound call.
 15. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 13, wherein one option for handling the inboundtelephony call on the smart speaker device is to reject the inboundcall.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim13, wherein one option for handling the inbound telephony call on thesmart speaker device is to send the inbound call to a voicemail system.17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13,wherein one option for handling the inbound telephony call on the smartspeaker device is to compose and send a text message back to the caller.18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13,wherein one option for handling the inbound telephony call on the smartspeaker device is to compose and send a voice message back to thecaller.